On February 5, Mexicans celebrate Constitution Day. For some people, it is just another mandatory Mexican holiday.

But what do Mexicans celebrate?

During the Mexican Revolution, Venustiano Carranza, who was in charge of Executive Power, convened a Constituent Congress to reform the Constitution of 1857. After two months of discussion, on February 5th 1917 the Constitutional Congress approved the new Mexican Constitution in Teatro de la República, Querétaro.

Mexican Constitution of 1917. Photo: Wikimedia

This new Constitution introduced modern human rights principles, like gender equality, the right to dignified and socially useful work and the right to receive quality education that would be secular, free and democratic. This Constitution also forced Mexican authorities to respect and protect human rights and also to prevent, punish and address human rights violations. The Constitution of 1917 was also important in terms of establishing divisions of power (executive, legislative and judicial) and banned presidential reelection.

A century is a long time and not only has the country changed, the Constitution has as well. Since the Constitution came into force in 1917, it has been changed almost six hundred times, according to National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) researcher Héctor Fix-Fierro. Another interesting fact that Fix-Fierro mentions is that all Latin American countries except Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, and Uruguay have enacted a new constitutional text after 1978.

It is currently a great time to visit the city of Querétaro. The municipal government of Querétaro has planned several activities to commemorate Constitution Day, like a great music show in the Corregidora Stadium on Monday. If you’re in the city, don’t miss the opportunity to visit the historical Teatro de la República.